Experience, strength, and hope for Pete

[anders]

Hello all: I recently got a 5 month old(?) Quaker {Pete} and a 4 month old Green Cheek Conure {KiKi}.
I have owned a Conure in the past, but have never had a Quaker.

The 2 weeks I have had them they both seem timid and will not allow anyone in their bird-space.
KiKi is starting to become more friendly, but Pete is completely on guard all the time. I have given them treats through the cage and have spent a lot of time talking to them. Also I attempted to reach out to the breeder to get more information about him and haven't gotten a reply.

Any suggestions?

 

[StormyPica]

Hello all: I recently got a 5 month old(?) Quaker {Pete} and a 4 month old Green Cheek Conure {KiKi}.
I have owned a Conure in the past, but have never had a Quaker.

The 2 weeks I have had them they both seem timid and will not allow anyone in their bird-space.
KiKi is starting to become more friendly, but Pete is completely on guard all the time. I have given them treats through the cage and have spent a lot of time talking to them. Also I attempted to reach out to the breeder to get more information about him and haven't gotten a reply.

Any suggestions?

2 weeks is not a long time. Many birds take months or years to be tame.

 

[Deleted member 42416]

They are so beautiful! This has been a huge change for both of them. Are they on a seed diet? ( I see seeds in the picture so I am assuming they are). It is best to start transitioning them to pellets. Then seeds make wonderful treats for training later. There is ample information on the forum as to how to convert their diet.

Knowing their background will also make a difference. Were they hand fed or parent-raised? Did you get them together or separately?

Patience is key! During training or bonding sessions, consider separating them and working with each individually and away from the cage. Do not force them out; they have to come out of the e cage on their own.

Good luck…I know other members will also have valuable advice!

 

[Laurasea]

Hello! Welcome to the forum!
Pete and Kiki welcome to the flock!
I do have hope for Pete!
( ok , wow I packed a lot in here! I just really want to help. Might have to read in stages lol )

Its frustrating to get new friends and have them be fearful i know . Keep researching and reading. Take in everyone's advice as there can be different approaches that accomplish the same goal .

First to make them more comfortable and have more options to move and feel secure. I would suggest adding a few more short fat perches..they don't have to go the length of the cage .

And to make training easier. I suggest attaching a perch on the outside of the cage they can step out to from the door. I like putting perches on the outside top and sides as well, the rope ones work good. This turns their cage into a play stands area as well.

I find it much easier to work with birds out of the cage as some can be cage protect. Quakers are known to be cafe protective.

If you do this , its best to shut doors to all other rooms, hsve blinds or curtains over windows, ceiling fan off, no other pets around. And give yourself plenty of time to fool around. Have treats, a single safflower seems to work great for both species @ ( I have Quakers and a green cheek myself , they love safflower seeds)

Now you are almost ready. We are going to try and prevent this.
But what happens if they panic and fly off? Remain calm, don't talk or chase. When they land, walk calmly to them and talk to them . They should be happy to be rescued and even ones not trained to step up often will. Tell them how brave and walk them back to the cage and place them on top. If the first time you start moving towards them they start to fly off again , stop wait, when they land again, try again to talk softly and walk over and scoop them up or have them step up. Same thing if they fly off while trying to walk them back to the cage. Its ok, they usually tire quickly, it often doesn't take many attempts to get them back to the top if cage. Its possible they could fear bite, but you will just have to ignore that and take the bite .

But what we would like is to have them come out if the cage calmly and explore and hang out maybe go in and out of the cage. I would pull up a comfy chair, snacks and beverage for you . Just sit and hang out for awhile . Then open the cage , and sit back talk to them but don't focus 100% on them. Let them decide when to come out. I've given it as much as 2 hours before, just waiting for them to get brave enough. You can hold a treat at the door and hand them to them if they come over. You can show them some treats and place on top of cage .
What I like is if they come out check stuff out and start getting comfortable. I keep just sitting and talking and handing treats out if I can . And reading my book. Then I try to get them to go in and out of cage by showing some millet and putting it just inside the cage, or a slice of apple. Then one of the times they go in I lock them back up. I repeat this several times over the next few days.

If you use the same words and phrases they will start picking that up. Like time to come out, time to go back. I've trained mine to return to the cage when asked and I always reward this with treats and lots of praise.

Also sometimes when I'm sitting all smoothed up to tge cage tgey will start climbing on me and explore. I give so many treats if they do this. You just have to adapt to how things are going with you guys.

Target training to come out to a perch can be very help too. But the first part if target training is to just have them touch the chop stick and get a treat. I will link some videos and articles

This one is great, shows how to reward fir allowing you to come near. Then how to first teach touching the target. Just a few repetition then breaks is key with parrots. Note this is one day miracle! Lol don't expect things to go that fast for you . Clickers are great, but I don't use them, I say good birdie as the " bridge" before the reward

 

[Laurasea]

This is a great article

Pet Bird and Parrot Behavior – Pet Birds by Lafeber Co.

Pet bird and parrot behavior information.

lafeber.com

Great tips for getting them eating some veggies! Quaker really like veggies in my experience abd take to them pretty quickly . But sometimes you have to work at before they learn to love them

Tips for Getting Your Parrot to Eat Vegetables or Unfamiliar Foods.

So you know the three essential, but ultimately simple, skills for feeding your pet birds – chop, grain bakes, and sprouts. You feed a pellet base (or maybe not, depending on your views), and…

threebirdsandacloud.wordpress.com

Here are mine and stuff myself and other members do for our birds

Enrichment ideas, share yours

I'm often posting how I use ceiling hooks abd heavy weight fishing line to create what I call an aerial gym. I attach foraging stuff, stuff to chew, and treats to find to keep my flock busy. So now I will share examples to inspire you. Hopefully you all will share yours to inspire me too! this...

www.parrotforums.com

 

[Laurasea]

Don't be afraid to read advice for other species most behavior stuff is the same with just a few species differences.
Someone trying to make friends with their parrot

How can I tame a wild blue fronted amazon

I have a 12 month old amazon that won't come near me, I've have had him for 2 months & he has quietened a little, bit I cannot get any closer than about 3 ft, if I do he panics, I have him in an open cage in the house & he's happy to feed inside & come out on to a perch above the cage & play...

www.parrotforums.com

 

[anders]

They are so beautiful! This has been a huge change for both of them. Are they on a seed diet? ( I see seeds in the picture so I am assuming they are). It is best to start transitioning them to pellets. Then seeds make wonderful treats for training later. There is ample information on the forum as to how to convert their diet.

Knowing their background will also make a difference. Were they hand fed or parent-raised? Did you get them together or separately?

Patience is key! During training or bonding sessions, consider separating them and working with each individually and away from the cage. Do not force them out; they have to come out of the e cage on their own.

Good luck…I know other members will also have valuable advice!

I did get them together and unsure whether they were hand fed or parent raised. Thanks for the advice about the pellets and separating them.

 

[anders]

Hello! Welcome to the forum!
Pete and Kiki welcome to the flock!
I do have hope for Pete!
( ok , wow I packed a lot in here! I just really want to help. Might have to read in stages lol )

Its frustrating to get new friends and have them be fearful i know . Keep researching and reading. Take in everyone's advice as there can be different approaches that accomplish the same goal .

First to make them more comfortable and have more options to move and feel secure. I would suggest adding a few more short fat perches..they don't have to go the length of the cage .

And to make training easier. I suggest attaching a perch on the outside of the cage they can step out to from the door. I like putting perches on the outside top and sides as well, the rope ones work good. This turns their cage into a play stands area as well.

I find it much easier to work with birds out of the cage as some can be cage protect. Quakers are known to be cafe protective.

If you do this , its best to shut doors to all other rooms, hsve blinds or curtains over windows, ceiling fan off, no other pets around. And give yourself plenty of time to fool around. Have treats, a single safflower seems to work great for both species @ ( I have Quakers and a green cheek myself , they love safflower seeds)

Now you are almost ready. We are going to try and prevent this.
But what happens if they panic and fly off? Remain calm, don't talk or chase. When they land, walk calmly to them and talk to them . They should be happy to be rescued and even ones not trained to step up often will. Tell them how brave and walk them back to the cage and place them on top. If the first time you start moving towards them they start to fly off again , stop wait, when they land again, try again to talk softly and walk over and scoop them up or have them step up. Same thing if they fly off while trying to walk them back to the cage. Its ok, they usually tire quickly, it often doesn't take many attempts to get them back to the top if cage. Its possible they could fear bite, but you will just have to ignore that and take the bite .

But what we would like is to have them come out if the cage calmly and explore and hang out maybe go in and out of the cage. I would pull up a comfy chair, snacks and beverage for you . Just sit and hang out for awhile . Then open the cage , and sit back talk to them but don't focus 100% on them. Let them decide when to come out. I've given it as much as 2 hours before, just waiting for them to get brave enough. You can hold a treat at the door and hand them to them if they come over. You can show them some treats and place on top of cage .
What I like is if they come out check stuff out and start getting comfortable. I keep just sitting and talking and handing treats out if I can . And reading my book. Then I try to get them to go in and out of cage by showing some millet and putting it just inside the cage, or a slice of apple. Then one of the times they go in I lock them back up. I repeat this several times over the next few days.

If you use the same words and phrases they will start picking that up. Like time to come out, time to go back. I've trained mine to return to the cage when asked and I always reward this with treats and lots of praise.

Also sometimes when I'm sitting all smoothed up to tge cage tgey will start climbing on me and explore. I give so many treats if they do this. You just have to adapt to how things are going with you guys.

Target training to come out to a perch can be very help too. But the first part if target training is to just have them touch the chop stick and get a treat. I will link some videos and articles

This one is great, shows how to reward fir allowing you to come near. Then how to first teach touching the target. Just a few repetition then breaks is key with parrots. Note this is one day miracle! Lol don't expect things to go that fast for you . Clickers are great, but I don't use them, I say good birdie as the " bridge" before the reward

Many thanks for all the detailed suggestions!

 

[Laurasea]

I'm not sure on separate them..they look pretty bonded.
If was me I'd wait till they were more comfortable.
But I can see both sides, it might work out great and be helpful or not.
Its tricky
You could try as an option, but put them back together if its to stressful for them .

Diet changes be sure they are eating enough.. Parrots can drop weight rapidly and that's very hard to see in them, some can even die from quick change. I prefer to be able to weight check them during diet changes.

 

[Deleted member 42416]

I'm not sure on separate them..they look pretty bonded.
If was me I'd wait till they were more comfortable.
But I can see both sides, it might work out great and be helpful or not.
Its tricky
You could try as an option, but put them back together if its to stressful for them .

Diet changes nges, be sure theybare eating enough.. Parrots can drop weight rapidly and that's very hard to see in them, some can even die from quick change. I prefer to be able to weight check them during diet changes.

Oh… I should have been more clear…I was thinking of separating only during training & bonding sessions…in between they will be happier together and we wouldn’t want to ruin such a beautiful bond either!

 

[HeatherG]

One thing I have found helpful when taking a really wild or abused bird is for them to see you sleeping. I think they can see that you are an animal and also vulnerable. I never got along so well with my birds as when I lived in a studio apartment with them.

Maybe it’s weird but it’s helped me with several birds in my lifetime.

 

[HeatherG]

One thing I have found helpful when taking a really wild or abused bird is for them to see you sleeping. I think they can see that you are an animal and also vulnerable. I never got along so well with my birds as when I lived in a studio apartment with them.

Maybe it’s weird but it’s helped me with several birds in my lifetime.

Another important point is that you need to learn Quaker Parakeet and green cheek conure manners. They’re different than human manners and you’ll figure them out eventually. If you get bit (thinking of another thread) you’ve accidentally done something ‘rude’. You don’t yet know their language or customs.